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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23326642">bonding moment</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_forgotten_daydreamer/pseuds/the_forgotten_daydreamer'>the_forgotten_daydreamer</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Voltron: Legendary Defender [13]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Voltron: Legendary Defender</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Blood, Bonding, Concussed Lance, Concussions, Fainting, Family Bonding, Gender-Neutral Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, Injured Lance (Voltron), Keith (Voltron) is Bad at Feelings, Lance (Voltron) Whump, Lance (Voltron) is a Mess, Lance Gets a Concussion, Lance is passed out, M/M, Near Death Experiences, Passed out Lance, Team Bonding, Whump, Worried Keith (Voltron)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-03-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 16:40:23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,332</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23326642</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_forgotten_daydreamer/pseuds/the_forgotten_daydreamer</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>What I think happened during the famous bonding moment in s1. Whump and hurt/comfort all the way.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Keith/Lance (Voltron), Lance &amp; Voltron Paladins, Lance &amp; Voltron: Legendary Defender Team</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Voltron: Legendary Defender [13]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1680511</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>277</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>bonding moment</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I do not own VLD nor these characters.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Keith ran at Lance's side as soon as he secured Sendak, not wasting an instant.</p><p>"Lance!" he yelled to the semi-conscious teen, skidding on his knees and crouching before him, "Lance, are you okay!?"</p><p>The Red Paladin extended a hand to grab Lance's, the other behind the hurt paladin's back to support him in case he collapsed again.</p><p>Lance grunted breathless, and Keith took a moment to analyze his friend: his usual sun-kissed skin tone was now pale, clammy and sweaty, covered in nasty bleeding wounds, cuts and purple bruises that were already visible on Lance's face; the boy's hair was messy, matted in blood on his left temple and forehead, just above the hairline; finally, Lance's armor was torn and dirty with blood and dust, deep scratches on the chestplate. On his side there was a wound that looked too deep to be safe, bleeding slowly but steadily, thick, dark blood dripping down.</p><p>Keith swallowed, anxious.</p><p>
  <em> He doesn't look good... </em>
</p><p>The paladin quickly glanced at the other's back, witnessing the gaping hole on the backplate of the armor: the skin underneath was burnt and bleeding- not too much, but enough to hurt <em> a lot </em>- and the sight was enough to make Keith gag internally.</p><p>
  <em> He really took a direct hit with that blast… Shit. </em>
</p><p>"We did it…" Lance croaked out of the blue, smiling tenderly, making his eyebags pop out further.</p><p>For a brief moment, his gaze seemed somewhat focused, eyes sharply looking at Keith. Ocean orbs made contact with shiny amethysts, and time seemed to stop for an instant, frozen and blissfully peaceful.</p><p>The Blue Paladin leaned forward while he spoke, one knee on the floor, in a faint attempt to maybe get up, "We are a good team..." he finished, sounding exhausted, eyes struggling to focus and <em> stay open. </em></p><p>Keith's eyes sparkled too, a relaxed look on his pale face.</p><p>They'd saved him.</p><p>Lance was <em> alive. </em></p><p>He was going to be okay.</p><p>Keith exhaled shakily, ready to stand up and be Lance's crutch to the infirmary.</p><p>"Dun feel good…" the beaten teen muttered, almost imperceptibly, and coughed weakly, specks of blood splattering on his gloved hand, pressed against his mouth.</p><p>"Crap…" Lance breathed out, and Keith cringed.</p><p>"Are you-"</p><p>"I… I need'a lie down…"</p><p>"Wha-"</p><p>But before the Japanese could do so or add anything, Lance's blue eyes fluttered close, uneven pupils rolled back and eyelids suddenly heavier, face slack. </p><p>He leaned forward, hand still in Keith's, as his legs gave out. Before Lance could register anything else, he was claimed by darkness once again, pain overwhelming as the adrenaline faded.</p><p>Keith realized soon enough what was happening, and quickly shifted in front of Lance, holding onto the collapsed boy by his upper arms as he plopped forward, limp head against Keith's hard chestplate.</p><p>"Shit," Keith groaned, gently tapping the Cuban's beaten face but not earning any response, "okay, okay, I got you. I got you, Lance. Everything will be okay, I promise...".</p><p>Shiro fretted from his spot a few feet away, groaning for the pain of his wounds and escaping Pidge's grip, "Keith, is he-"</p><p>"He's alive and breathing," Keith assured, clearly feeling the boy's hitched and wet gasps, "although there's blood where it's not supposed to be, and he's getting paler by the second. I'm-" he swallowed, "I'm kinda worried" he added, nervous. As if on cue, Lance coughed in his slumber, tiny blood drops escaping his parted lips again.</p><p>Pidge hissed, "Shit…"</p><p>"How long until Coran and Hunk arrive with that crystal? Lance doesn't have much time" Allura said, eyebrows arched in worry as she smoothed Lance's bangs motherly.</p><p>"The pod they're on has a, huh, special feature. If they use it, they'll be back in the blink of an eye," Pidge replied, not tearing their eyes off Lance, "that or they'll blow up..."</p><p>"What!?"</p><p>"Nothing, nothing! They'll be fine" Pidge reassured, now looking at Allura and raising their hands defendingly, hoping to be right.</p><p>A tiny gasp made them all snap back.</p><p>"M'ke it stop," Lance whined with a barely audible whisper, as the Japanese's head immediately whipped toward him, "p-please" he breathed out, eyes watery and shut tight to will the nausea away.</p><p>"What is it, Lance?".</p><p>A choked groan, "s' spinny… Feel sick..."</p><p>"Are you dizzy?" Pidge cut in, "maybe we should get him lying down".</p><p>The Red Paladin hummed, cradling Lance's head as he eased the beaten boy to the floor, making the nape hit it as gently as possible.</p><p>Keith winced at the slurred speech, immediately lowering his gaze, "Lance, hey," he put himself in his visual field, "hold on a bit longer, please. You hear me?" he asked, eyebrows knitted in worry. A drop of sweat fell down his forehead as he waited for a reply.</p><p>Not really giving any, Lance kept mumbling, tossing his head, "Hurts r'lly bad..." he attempted to yell, voice coming out not too loud and strained. His hand flew to the wounded side, torn flash still bleeding, because the crust hadn't formed yet and the fabric of the suit was making the process harder- shaky fingers brushed against it and he hissed, tossing his head.</p><p>"Maybe don't do that, though?" Keith murmured, moving Lance's hand away from the wound as the boy struggled effortlessly, eyes rolling without aim. </p><p>Allura stepped in, pressing down on the wound. Lance kicked and whimpered, but she didn't flinch.</p><p>"I'm so sorry, but we need to stop the bleeding. I'm sorry, Lance" she breathed out.</p><p>The Red Paladin sighed, feeling useless, and gently stroke the other's chocolate hair back, somehow soft even if it had caked blood in it, "Shh, Hunk and Coran will be here soon with that crystal, I promise," he lied, not knowing the truth either, "you just- you gotta relax, alright? Don't worry, you're safe" he added with a strained smile.</p><p>All of the sudden, the Cuban choked loudly, eyes wide and bloodshot.</p><p>"Lance!" Keith called, cupping his face, "what is it? What's wrong!?"</p><p>"Turn him on his side!" Allura yelled, doing the work herself; the sight was terrifying, as Lance loudly started hacking up vivid blood, making Pidge cringe and look away, Shiro getting significantly paler in an instant.</p><p>After a few moments, the coughing stopped, and Lance flopped on his back, panting, "S'rry guys" he whispered with a tired grin, barely audible. </p><p>"No, you are not apologizing for getting blown up!" Pidge cut in, on the verge of tears, "I should be the one saying sorry! They- they cloned Rover's signature because I didn't think about making it hacker-proof! If only I'd-"</p><p>"P-Pidge, no, 's fine, not y' fault" the Blue Paladin replied with a smile, which soon faded, face going slack and head lolling to the side.</p><p>"B-but… Wh'happed? I'm- 's all fuzzy..." he asked, still struggling to catch his breath.</p><p>At that, Keith's heart dropped: Lance's voice was wrecked, so scared and small. Furthermore, Lance seemed to have forgotten what had just occurred, and that couldn't be good.</p><p>Panic settled in Keith, his heart racing frantically,</p><p>
  <em> is he brain damaged? Or is it the blood loss? Did they give him something while him and Shiro were both knocked out? Is he- </em>
</p><p>"Lance, hey," Shiro intervened, clearly noticing Keith spiraling, "you remember who we are, right?".</p><p>Lance chuckled, "Wah, Space Dad's worried, 'm flattered-" he said, interrupted by a weak cough, its sound wet and unhealthy.</p><p>"Yeah kiddo, I'm really worried. But you'll be okay, I promise… You did good, very good, buddy" the leader assured, running a soothing hand through Lance's damp hair, carefully avoiding the wounds. Blue eyes fluttered close, lost in the abyss; at least, tried to, as Shiro patted the Blue Paladin's face gently, "Lance? You with us?"</p><p>"Mnnh~" </p><p>"I'll take that as a yes, but don't sleep, okay?" Shiro ordered in a soft tone, guilt rising up to his constricted throat.</p><p>Lance whined, "W-why?"</p><p>"Because we, huh, we need to see if everything's okay with your head, okay? You took a nasty hit" the leader admitted, reluctantly, "Kiddo, hey, listen: do you remember who the others are?"</p><p>"Why you askin'?".</p><p>Everybody's eyes widened and they all winced simultaneously: Lance was <em> really </em>out of it now.</p><p>
  <em> This can't be good..! </em>
</p><p>Shiro swallowed the anxiety down but didn't lie, "I just need to make sure you're not too concussed. You got hit before. So, who are the others? Please?".</p><p>After a pause, the Cuban boy groaned, taking some time to process the question.</p><p>"Tha's mullet-head 'n Pidgeon. Hunk's m'best friend b-but I can't see him," he croaked out, stopping to take a breath and think, "and then there's C'ran and Princess 'llura" he finished, blinking at the dawning realization that <em> someone </em> was missing, and that <em> something </em>bad must have happened, afterall.</p><p>"Perfect-"</p><p>"S-Shiro," Lance called, panicking, interrupting Allura, "Shiro, 'm I in trouble?" he asked, turning his head to face the Black Paladin, who had a struck expression on his face.</p><p>"No, Lance, you're not in trouble. Why do you think that?"</p><p>"Be-because Hunk and C'ran left-" </p><p>Pidge chimed in, "They're just… They're on a trip, and will be back soon," they assured, "don't w-"</p><p>"What's the last thing you remember?" Keith cut in, worried but out of his panicked haze, for Lance's sake.</p><p>Silence followed, as the hurt teen scrunched his eyebrows together in confusion, the process of thinking painful enough to make him yelp softly in utter pain, "There was a party w' those- those tiny aliens," he started, sounding unsure, "then I drank something," he made a face, mouthing what seemed like a '<em> bleh </em>', after recomposing himself, "and- and I left? Y-yeah, I left. Yeah. 'Cause I 's sad... But C'ran joined me and-" his eyes snapped open, and he almost headbutted Keith as he attempted to sit up, breathlessly fretting, "t-the explosion- Coran! N-no, is he 'kay!? The- the bot, Rover! Pidge, I hafta warn Pidge!" he yelled, clutching his chest and struggling against Allura and Keith who tried to hold him back down.</p><p>"It's okay, it's okay, I've taken care of the bot!" Pidge assured immediately, trying to calm Lance, in vain.</p><p>"No, P'dge, I hafta fight. The- the bot, I hafta find the bot" he repeated like a mantra, trying to sit up and violently flinching away from his teammates hands as they tried to pin him down.</p><p>"Lance, shit, stay down!" the Red Paladin pleaded, followed by the Black one, "Woh, easy, Lance, don't move yet-".</p><p>The Blue Paladin grunted, upset and delusional as he struggled to free himself from that constricting hold.</p><p>"Everybody else is fine, you're the only one who's hurt!" the princess added, as Pidge fiddled with the arm compartment in their armour.</p><p>But he wouldn't listen. He couldn't.</p><p>The Green Paladin sighed as they retrieved what they were looking for. Pidge shoved a small object in Shiro's hands: it looked like a small tube, approximately four inches long, the liquid inside colored in bright blue, "What's this?"</p><p>"A sedative... I wanted to give him that before but I couldn't reach you guys." Pidge replied to Shiro, "come on, use it!".</p><p>Lance was still thrashing under Keith and Allura's grip, who pleaded him to stop, requests falling on deaf ears.</p><p>Without a second thought, Shiro unceremoniously slammed the tiny tube in Lance's lower tight, where the only thing covering his skin was the undersuit; a tiny needle came out of it, the bright liquid slowly injected in the boy's body. He stilled immediately, eyes still rolling but fluttering close.</p><p>"Did… Did I do good?" Lance asked, tears pricking at the corners of his dazed eyes.</p><p>Keith's heart hammered in his chest, emotions and adrenaline mixing in a lethal combination, leaving him shocked and unable to process quickly.</p><p>Shiro's gaze softened.</p><p>"Yes," he replied, smiling at the boy whose head laid in his lap, "you did great, buddy" he finished, smiling once more.</p><p>Lance grinned as well, struggling to keep his eyes open, "A-are we safe now?".</p><p>The Red Paladin could clearly hear the fear in that question, but swallowed down his own for Lance's sake, "Yeah, it's all good now".</p><p>Because Sendak was trapped, after all, his bots squad decimated, Haxus gone once and for all.</p><p>Lance was safe, they all were.</p><p>For now, anyway.</p><p>The Castle's alarms blared, panic setting in everyone's stomach.</p><p>"What is it now!?" Allura yelled, shooting up and reaching a remote control panel in the room, "oh, it's Coran and Hunk! And- they got the crystal! I'll go lower the particle barrier. Take Lance and Shiro to the infirmary!!" she commanded and ran off.</p><p>"Shiro, can you walk?" Pidge asked.</p><p>"I- I think so…"</p><p>"Then Keith will get Lance, as he's obviously not good to walk. Shiro, I'll be your crutch" they concluded.</p><p>Keith hummed, "okay, I'll be right behind you".</p><p>The Green Paladin got Shiro on his feet, the height difference almost funny to witness.</p><p>"You sure you'll be okay?"</p><p>"Yes, Shiro. Go, don't worry" Keith smiled.</p><p>As the two paladins walked away, Keith began to gently lift Lance, picking him up bridal-style to avoid jostling his beated body too much.</p><p>A low groan indicated that Lance didn't particularly like being moved, anyway.</p><p>"I know, I know… I'm sorry" Keith muttered, pacing slowly. Lance's head was bent forward, neck angled painfully as he let his pounding skull rest on Keith's chestplate.</p><p>The Japanese lowered his eyes, breathing out shakily, "are you awake?"</p><p>"...no".</p><p>A dry laugh, "You're a jerk. But… I'm glad you're alive, Lance. I'm really, really glad for that" he confessed, blushing slightly. Keith had never been the type to be so open about his feelings, nor so expensive when it came to externalizing his emotions, but he didn't care now.</p><p>"Th'k you…" Lance breathed out, a tiny, exhausted smile on his pale face, scrunched up in agony.</p><p>"K-Keith, I dun feel well…".</p><p>The Red Paladin's heart clenched and twisted.</p><p>"Rest," he reassured, "close your eyes. I promise you will be okay".</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I felt the urge to make up for Dreamworks' lack of bonding moment footages, sorry.<br/>I wrote this on my phone, so, yeah.<br/>-<br/>‼DON'T READ AND RUN‼ Leave kudos and comments if you enjoyed this, please.<br/>ー<br/>Find me on<br/><a href="http://theforgottendaydreamer.tumblr.com">my Tumblr blog</a><br/>ー<br/>I now have another blog exclusively for sickfics! I take requests for BNHA, Jujutsu Kaisen, Haikyuu!! and Yuuri!!! On Ice, find it <a href="http://i-write-anime-sickfics.tumblr.com">here</a></p></blockquote></div></div>
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